These charming early bloomers are some of the first signs of spring, brightening up our gardens, balconies, and patios. Since delicate petals are such a popular way to dress up a plate, a lot of people ask: are forget-me-nots actually edible?
Can you eat forget-me-nots?
The “edible flower” trend is huge right now, with foodies using all sorts of blossoms to garnish dishes or add a pop of color to salads and veggies. You’ll be happy to know that forget-me-nots fit right in! They aren’t toxic; in fact, they add a lovely, subtle flavor to many recipes. Plus, they’ve long been associated with a few health-boosting perks:
- They have a calming effect on the body
- They act as an anti-inflammatory
- They have astringent properties
- They work as a tonic to help strengthen and revitalize
How to use them
Forget-me-not blossoms make a gorgeous garnish for savory dishes or fresh salads. If you want to get a little fancy, you can dip them in egg white and sugar to candy them, or even freeze them into ice cubes. Trust me, flower ice cubes are always the star of the show in a summer cocktail!
Before you start snacking, though, make sure your flowers are homegrown. That’s the only way to be 100% sure they haven’t been sprayed with nasty pesticides. Luckily, forget-me-nots are super easy to grow in the garden or in pots. Just sow the seeds by mid-summer in unfertilized soil, and you’ll have a harvest ready by the following spring. I’d recommend skipping the ones you find in the wild—they can be contaminated by heavy metals or, let’s be honest, “marked” by neighborhood dogs.
A quick heads-up
Even though forget-me-nots aren’t considered dangerous, you shouldn’t go overboard and eat them by the bucketful. Like many plants, these little spring beauties contain trace amounts of pyrrolizidine, a natural alkaloid the plant uses to keep hungry critters away. While it can be toxic in large doses, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment suggests a safe limit of about 0.007 µg per kilogram of body weight. You’d have to eat a massive amount of flowers to hit that limit, but it’s always good to enjoy them in moderation as a garnish rather than a main course.
A note on Chinese Forget-Me-Nots and Canary Island Forget-Me-Nots
Keep an eye out for these specific varieties, as both are considered toxic. You definitely want to keep these out of your kitchen. In fact, farmers usually clear them from pastures because they can make livestock pretty sick if grazed.
